Friday, May 11, 2012

groupons & the women who love them

It's safe to say I'm a Groupon groupie. If you've read any of my posts on this blog, you probably know that I like to go out to eat, and I like to save money. Sometimes it's hard to enjoy both of those things at once. That's when Groupon and assorted similar sites come into play. Admittedly I have spent a decent amount of money on the coupons themselves, but I've also gotten to try lots of delicious new restaurants that I may not have known about (and probably couldn't have afforded or gone to almost guilt-free).

There are also city-specific coupon sites like Groupon. My favorite here in Baton Rouge is 225 Best Eats.

Lemme share some of my most recent deals (and maybe some brief reviews of the places I went!):

French Quarter Daiquiris -- (LivingSocial) I got a $15 for $30 deal here. it just so happened we went to spend this ($30 that had to be spent all at once, semi-unfortunately) during their happy hour, so we got an additional ~$5 of savings. As far as a review goes, I will say that you get some serious bang for your buck -- these seemed pretty strong to me. My favorites are Cajun Lemonade (super tart) and a mix of Strawberry and Margarita. I've gone there before LSU football games to buy a frosty adult beverage for the hours of tailgating, and they haven't disappointed yet. Here's their Yelp reviews too.

Louisiana Pizza Kitchen -- (225 Best Eats) Like its similarly named competitor, LPK is a casual kind-of Italian restaurant, like a local version of CPK. They're going through a weird revamp right now and trying to make it trendy, so I'm not sure if this review will still stand if you go soon. But previously, their food was consistently tasty and fresh. I like their spinach and artichoke dip and fettucine alfredo with spinach, yum!

Whole Foods -- (LivingSocial) This place is seriously expensive, so I snagged that deal as soon as I saw it! This is fairly self-explanatory.

Starbucks -- (Google Offers) Also fairly self-explanatory. I was even able to transfer the value online onto an existing gift card. That was my first (and thus far only) offer through Google Offers.

Fat Cow -- (225 Best Eats) I am a little obsessed with Fat Cow. It's kind of trendy and looks like a restaurant that belongs in Austin, Texas (one of my absolute favorite cities, and thus a huge compliment). If I have visitors (who are carnivores) I take them here to make them think Baton Rouge is at least a tiny bit cool. They have great burgers, fries, and milkshakes. And by that I mean all three of those things are fantastic. Their buns are really unique, with an onion flavor that I haven't had elsewhere. I love that their milkshakes are so thick you need a bubble tea style straw! Portions are generous (even the small burger!), and prices are reasonable. It is pretty popular, so you may be in for a short wait (it's counter service and a somewhat limited seating area). Their Yelp reviews are here.

Ginza Sushi and Japanese Steakhouse -- (Groupon) This was one of the first restaurants the boy and I went to in Baton Rouge. We went for hibachi, and it was delicious! Our cook was really funny, too, which is always a plus. He even made our fried rice into a heart (how endearing, no?). Hibachi is always expensive, so if you see such a deal, grab it while you can! I haven't been to any other hibachi restaurants in Baton Rouge, so I can't really compare it to anything here, but I would say it was comparable to any of the hibachi I've had in New Orleans.

Disclaimer: Yes, those links are my referral links (none for Google Offers at this time). Feel free to use them (or not) if you want, no pressure! At LivingSocial, you'll get $5 free deal bucks if you use my invitation, so leave your email in the comments if you want me to send one.